Kerstin's Lighter Parmesan Schnitzel with Easy Tomato Sauce

 

Today we had one of our favourites. The turkey stays moist and tender in the crust enriched with grated parmesan cheese. It is complimented with a nice tomato sauce and makes a proper Sunday dinner. Serve it with spicy carrot, pepper and onion pan fried vegetables and a green salad for a healthy, yet very delicious meal.

Zuleikakake - Suksessterte - Success Cake

 

 

I first came across this cake when I spent my summer holidays in the South of Norway. My friend and I always had one trip to Kristiansand. And in between shopping for cloths, records and other goodies we went to a small coffee place. After this first time, I was always looking forward of going back there the next summer for some more of this delicious cake. And when I finally found a Norwegian baking book 'Mine Lekreste Kaker' (My Most Delicious Cakes) with a recipe for this special cake, I was overjoyed. Last weekend I made this for a fund raising event for an education project in South Africa and I can only say it WAS a full success. So the name of the cake must be right then, I guess. If you look for something easy to make then this is the right cake - and it is gluten-free thanks to all the almonds in the base. Well, anyway, here is my version of it.

Red Chilli Jam

 

 

This is something I saw in a Christmas cook show by Nigella Lawson and I just had to try it. I love chilli and although there are a lot of them in the jam I made (I removed the seeds almost completely) is vibrant in colour and tastes sweet and sour and bursts with chilli flavour. It is nice on ham or cheese in a sandwich and spices up soups and sauces.

Homemade Potato Wedges

 

 

These homemade wedges are so good, and so easy to prepare, and you can control the amount of fat that goes onto them as well. The result is crunchy, tasty and mega delicious.

End Of Week Lazy but Yummy Feast

Homemade Chilli Turkey and Cheese Burger

 

Today is Friday and I must admit, it is the end of a working week and the weekend is there stretched in front of you... I like something quick and simple and very tasty. I always make my own burger, so as far as we know there is only the animal in it that was supposed to be in it. And today is turkey day. The lean, breast or thigh mince or even a mix of both is ideal for a yummy, juicy burger. I serve them with home make potato wedges, homemade chilli jam and a side salad. And it all costs less then one meal at the global restaurant with the golden M! And it is done in (almost) no time, too. And considering how much taste you get for invested minutes - priceless!!!

Pan-fried Fish with Curried Rice

 

 

This is a nice and easy dish with full of healthy vegetables for all those who like spiced food. It looks great as the colours of the ingredients are just vibrant in colour, and the vegetables are cut small enough that even fussy eaters have a share of vegetable goodness. The curried rice can be spiced up with either more chilli or hotter curry powder if you wish.

A Birthday Treat

Filet Steak Balmoral with Whisky Sauce and Fan-Shaped Potatoes

This was a special treat as a birthday dinner at home. It is such a brilliant dish as the potatoes do not need much attention, the steak is cooked in almost no time and the sauce is quick and easy as well. The longest preparation is for the mushrooms but they are a perfect fit for this dish. The mushrooms can be stirred into the sauce, to make it a nice whisky and mushroom sauce, but I served them on the side as some members of the family do not like mushrooms.

Victoria Sponge

I gave this classic sponge cake which was a favourite of Queen Victoria (hence the name) for her afternoon tea to my Hubby for his birthday. It is a lovely combination of sweet cake and fruity, creamy filling. Apparently the classic Victoria Sponge does not have a cream filling. It is only filled with good quality raspberry jam. I think the cream adds an extra texture to the cake. But - whether with cream or traditional it makes a nice cake for an afternoon tea or a coffee and cake break.

10. May 2013

'HOME MADE' Stamped Biscuits

 

I was given two lovely biscuit or cookie stampers from a friend of mine.

Today I tried the first one out, the other will have to wait as it is says Merry Christmas. The result is fun, although they get quite soft and runny in the oven - so the nice HOME MADE is not really that readable - but who wants to complain when the result is very yumm-mmh?

And considering they found huge fans in the house, I will be able to develop the recipe a little so that the embossing well be shown in a clearer way. So for now I will go with the recipe as it came with the stamp, and after writing this we will sit down with a cup of coffee and a biscuit or two........

Tuesday, 7th May 2013

Easy Paella with Chicken, Chorizo and Prawns

 

 

Just the perfect dish for the first day of proper spring. This is my uptake on the Spanish dish. Everybody loves the delicious and spicy paella with chicken, peppers and tomatoes - like a summer holiday evening. I always add frozen peas to my paella, but they can be left out. And as it does not need the stirring like a risotto it is much more relaxed to prepare it.

A warm welcome!

It all started with me trying to organise my zillions of recipes from magazines, copies, written down bits of scrap paper. But my collection soon started to become bigger and bigger and the initial plan to create a hard copy of all the recipes in one book had to be scrapped. I am still collecting interesting recipes but I started to take my own photos of the food I prepared. I am always starting off with a recipe, but I think I never ever have followed a cooking recipe to the last word. I am always adding something, leaving something out or do it differently. Which I then put down into my computerised cookbook.

I was always interested in cooking and I think it is the most important thing to have a nice meal together.

I must admit that I come from a family with good cooks, and it is natural to do your own cooking. Although I must admit, my mum never ‘taught’ me how to cook. From a very early age, I was taking part in the process of preparing food and just watched the meals being prepared, or doing minor jobs, like peeling potatoes. I always liked to watch someone preparing food – might have something to do with the fact that my mum used to have me with her in the kitchen from the days I still sat in a high chair. And of course my first excursions in the kitchen with my little cookie cutters and a portion of Mama's Christmas biscuit dough.

I have a huge weakness when it comes to cookbooks and cooking magazines. I am always telling myself that my shelves are stuffed with wonderful books already but then there it is...something new...something different. Everywhere I go, I get at least a magazine if not a cookbook. In my collections are German, English, Norwegian, French, American, Canadian and Spanish books. I even have a Chinese DVD-cookbook, which is hard going, as it is not possible to distinguish all the white powders they are mixing together, but we were helped by a Chinese colleague at university. He translated the ingredients' list for me. 

And now is a good times to say thanks to all my critics so far. They all have been very kind and encouraging.

So in my blog I am going to show what I achieved in my kitchen.

 

Let's get cooking!!

The blog is born!

Here we go - encouraged by my friends and family to show the creations from my kitchen.

Cheers and Cheerio! Let me take you to culinary trips over the next posts!

See you soon again.